Conventionally, a sorting apparatus sorts commodities of required quantity in answer to an order from a retailer during the process of a business transaction between a supplier as the seller and a retailer as the buyer. Generally, such sorting apparatus includes a stock picking process at an upstream side and a conveying/sorting process at a downstream side (DC type).
A conventional sorting apparatus has the following problems.
(1) In recent years, segmented delivery from each team to every individual in the co-op is seen. Thus, it becomes necessary to cope with small order processing. As a result, problems in processing occur such that conveying and sorting number at the downstream side becomes short.
(2) Integration of functions such as common use of the physical distribution center, lumping conveying, or the like are advanced. It is necessary to perform sorting in every store (TC type) of the necessary articles carried in by another supplier in addition to stock picking type DC. Carrying in TC article has two systems; one being a total delivery system for every article item and another being a consolidated packing delivery system for every store. Center passing charges of these systems is different. As to the consolidated packing delivery system for every store, delivery information processing such as inspection of contents, delivery forming and so forth are included.
(3) Further, in the downstream, a label is attached to a delivery box such as a folding container or a plastic container after sorting in accordance with unique codes or formats of a client having multiple stores. Working requirements for inserting accessories such as a delivery detail listing or a pamphlet becomes large. Working is complicated in order to cope with different requirements of different clients. For this reason, the load of inspection work increases. In case of error, a penalty is added, and a large number of serious problems on physical distribution quality are created.
(4) When retailers purchase commodities from purchase resources such as a commission agent, the situation that the commodities ordered are not delivered by the type and quantity ordered frequently occurs For example, there is no ordered commodities, the quantity is short, the ordered commodities are delivered to another store, etc. Therefore, since loss due to shortage is large, actual commodity inspection is necessarily performed at a storefront under these circumstances.
In this case, commodity inspection at each store is troublesome, which results in inefficiency. Further, the situation that an unskilled sales person carries out commodity inspection frequently occurs, which frequently results in a problem in that it takes significant time for retrieving an actual commodity from a trade name, or an error occurs in commodity inspection itself.
Further, “business transaction” is ordinarily performed between the supplier as the seller and the retailer as the buyer in the order of order, delivery, commodity inspection, clearance and payment. The physical distribution is generally defined as a subcontracted business for the seller.
In recent years, retailers are large-scaled due to multiple store development, which requires reduction of purchase price in order to achieve quantity merit due to large scale purchasing and large scale selling. The retailer has adopted a POS system (JAN barcode settlement) to allow grasping of marketable commodities in real time. Thereby, daily orders for each store could be made easy.
Alternatively, the supplier as the seller (commission agents or manufacturers) performs an order reception confirming processing by each order reception processing computer to transmit shipment information to a “physical distribution site”.
The management of “the physical distribution site” has two cases; one being a directly-controlled own company physical distribution and another being a subcontract physical distribution company. In recent years, there is a tendency that the physical distribution is consigned to a dedicated physical distribution company with a cost borne by the seller in order to reduce the physical distribution costs. The “consigned contents” include various scenarios such a case that the seller provides the facilities and only in-house work and delivery work are consigned to a physical distribution company, a case that a physical distribution company is consigned with full services including the facilities, or the like. In many cases, the physical distribution company makes contracts with the seller for in-house business or delivery business not as a party for contract but as a subcontractor of the seller.
There occurs a problem that an order including many types of commodities in small numbers thereof increases and “the commodity inspection work is complicated and diversified at a time of commodity delivery”. The commodity inspection is a task involving making confirmation about matching/mismatching between delivered actual commodities and delivery forms therefor to achieve matching and secure “a delivery settlement”. However such work imposes a large burden on the physical distribution company due to the work required for error correction, increases in time for being present at the inspection, and the like.
(a) A driver of the physical distribution company is consigned with only the distribution business, but that person is required to be present until the content or commodity inspection is completed, which results in time loss for that person.
Further, a handling rule for the case that mismatching occurs between an actual commodity and a form therefor is unclear. For example, in the case that the number of actual commodities is larger than the number on the form, the surplus must be returned back and a returned commodity form must be written. When the number of actual commodities is smaller than the number described on the form, the form is ordinarily corrected under the presence of both parties and signature or sealing is required in some cases. Where the delivery is completed with only the form correction is a good case, and such a problem that delivery completion is rejected until shortage is supplemented or delivered occurs in rare cases.
When a reception person of the retailer is a professional, a relatively high efficiency can be achieved. But, when that person is a beginner, such as a new person or a temporary employee, it may occur frequently that their commodity inspection work is poor and their handling of mismatching cases is performed inefficiently. Such a situation may be a situation where persons who do not have responsibility are present just formally. “Unclearness in clearance” causes serious conditions such as notification of shortage to the supplier after delivery, leading to a loss of reliability.
(b) The retailer requires accurate correspondence to the seller on the occasion of multiple article items, small quantity and multi frequent order.
If the articles are delivered in random order according to every supplier, this causes interference of service, and a dedicated person for reception becomes the burden of the retailer. Consequently, TC (Transfer Center) establishment is required. The TC has a function of dealing with stock article and articles carried in from another supplier. When a TC is introduced, it is necessary for the supplier to perform “inspection forms correction” and “lumped delivery”.
Delivery error or shortage (short to the order) is impermissible. In TC, commodity inspection is performed, “excess and deficiency adjustment” of article item/quantity is performed, and agreement between “order=form=delivered actual commodity” is required.
The retailer performs management of the TC. In many cases, a related distribution company is used. Its working capital is a “center passing fee” tolled from the supplier. Under the contract, this center passing fee is reduced from the commodity purchase price.
(c) The supplier writes the form on the basis of only the receipt of order information while taking count of sales to the buyer. Confirmation of excess and deficiency of the actual commodity is considered the work of the distribution field or procurement section. For this reason, such a case that there are many transactions which appear due to the buyer's selfishness such as cancellation of a returned commodity and a delivery commodity caused by the retailer is exemplified.
Thus the physical distribution company as the subcontractor of a party for contract is compelled to perform work other than delivery contract such as “inspection presence” with no delegation of the clearance right.
This indicates problems of actual commodity clearance and difficulty of resolution. These problems are caused by computerization and the speed up of shipping order work and receipt of order work.
An inspection machine or a sorting machine is introduced for in-house work. Accuracy may be achieved by such mechanization. However, accuracy stays level within the warehouse. The obtained data as it is cannot be used as “inspection clearance data” for the physical distribution computer.